1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to dog training devices and, more particularly, to retrieving dummies that are used for training dogs to retrieve objects.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Retrieving tools and dummies that are used for training dogs to retrieve game animal carcasses are known in the hunting industries. Various training tools are also used for training dogs to track and trail live game animals, for example, raccoon, fox, and coyote.
It is also known for hunters and/or other outdoor enthusiasts (collectively referred to hereinafter as “hunters” for the sake of brevity) to collect shed antlers of antler-bearing animals to display or otherwise enjoy. Hunters occasionally find shed antlers, by happenstance, when they are walking through and scouting their hunting lands. Some will purposely look for shed antlers while looking for other signs that can indicate game animal presence while scouting, or may even look for shed antlers as a primary objective of an outing. Regardless, hunters have a very difficult time finding shed antlers because they must rely on eyesight alone (or substantially alone) to find the shed antlers. However, the shed antlers are often partially or totally covered by vegetation or otherwise camouflaged with respect to their surroundings which can make seeing them very difficult. Even though it is desirable to find a matched set of shed antlers from a single animal, if a hunter finds a single shed antler, finding the corresponding second shed antler from the matching pair of antlers of the same animal can prove even more difficult, since it is rare for an antlered animal to shed both of its antlers at the exact same time and in the exact same location.
Many hunters have dogs, such as those mentioned above, which are highly trained for retrieving game animal carcasses or tracking and trailing live animals, and take their dogs with them on scouting or “shed antler finding” trips to the field. However, such dogs are of little, if any, help at finding shed antlers. Shed antlers have different shapes, feels, and scents than those which the dogs focus on in the field.